1. Technical Field
The invention pertains to a latch arrangement for securing a dirt collecting receptacle in place on a vacuum cleaner.
2. Background Information
Upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Typically, these upright vacuum cleaners include a vacuum cleaner housing pivotally mounted to a vacuum cleaner foot. The foot is formed with a nozzle opening and may include an agitator mounted therein for loosening dirt and debris from a floor surface. A motor may be mounted to either the foot or the housing for producing suction at the nozzle opening. The suction at the nozzle opening picks up the loosened dirt and debris and produces a stream of dirt-laden air which is ducted to the vacuum cleaner housing.
In conventional vacuum cleaners, the dirt laden air is ducted into a vacuum cleaner filter bag supported on or within the vacuum cleaner housing. However, bagless vacuum cleaners have recently become prevalent in the marketplace. These bagless vacuum cleaners duct the stream of dirt-laden air into a dirt receptacle or dirt cup having a dirt collecting system that filters the dirt particles from the air stream before exhausting the filtered air stream into the atmosphere. Various latching arrangements have been employed on these bagless vacuum cleaners to securely latch the dirt receptacle in place on the vacuum cleaner. Although these latch arrangements are adequate for the purpose for which they are intended, they are frequently cumbersome and difficult to use. There is a need in the art for a new and improved arrangement for securely latching a dirt collecting receptacle in place on a vacuum cleaner that is easy to use, securely retains the dirt cup in place on the cleaner, and effectively presses the receptacle against receptacle inlet and outlet seals on the cleaner""s housing. There is also a need in the art for a vacuum cleaner dirt receptacle latching arrangement that securely retains a lid on an open top of the receptacle, as well as retaining the receptacle in place on the cleaner.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved latch mechanism that securely and removably latches a dirt receptacle in place on a vacuum cleaner.
A further objective is to provide a new and improved latch mechanism that securely and removably latches a dirt receptacle in place on a vacuum cleaner, while simultaneously securing a lid in place on the receptacle.
A still further objective is to provide a new and improved latching mechanism for latching a dirt cup in place on a bagless vacuum cleaner that is easy to operate.
Another objective is to provide a new and improved latching mechanism that latches a dirt receptacle in place on a vacuum cleaner, and presses the receptacle against receptacle inlet and outlet seals located on the vacuum cleaner.
Yet a further objective is to provide a latch mechanism that presses the receptacle simultaneously down on a first seal that seals against the bottom wall of the receptacle and horizontally against a second seal that seals against a sidewall of the receptacle.
These and other objectives will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art upon reviewing the following description and accompanying drawings.
These objectives are achieved by the present invention, which provides a dirt cup latching arrangement for a vacuum cleaner comprising a dirt cup housing having a recess formed in a front side thereof, said recess having a rear wall and at least one of a top and a bottom wall; a dirt cup for collecting dirt picked up by the vacuum cleaner, said dirt cup being sized to be removably placed in said recess; said dirt cup housing including a dirt cup latch for securely latching said dirt cup in place in said recess, said dirt cup latch including a latch member that is mounted to said housing on a side of said recess opposite from said at least one of a top and bottom wall; and wherein said latch member is mounted to move generally vertically relative to said housing into engagement with a top of said dirt cup to vertically retain said dirt cup between said at least one of a top and bottom wall and said latch member, and to move generally horizontally relative to said housing to horizontally retain said dirt cup between said rear wall and said latch member.
The present invention also provides a vacuum cleaner comprising a housing having a recess formed therein, said recess having a bottom wall; a dirt collecting cup having a lid, said cup being sized and shaped to be received in said housing and rest on said bottom wall; and a dirt cup latch mounted to said housing, said latch being movable from an unlatched position, in which said latch does not engage said cup or said lid, into a latched position, in which said latch engages said lid and press said lid sealingly in place on said cup and presses said cup, via said lid, against said bottom wall and thereby secure said cup in said recess.